LILBENZ230

He said tight in the rear, not loose.

samaritrey

Wow this thread has taken a very bad turn for the worse lol

Popo

Hoping to do this in the next 2 weeks. The fluid change that is, not the rear end stuff

I would not have dreamt about taking on this job without these instructions and the experience of the forum members so thank you all in advance.

I have one missing link though and that is what is the part number of the new transmission pan? I have a GL450 and my pan is the old one based on the pictures in the PDF. I am assuming all 722.9 transmissions are the same so the part number would be the same.

If there are any updated part numbers to those kindly provided in the PDF, please let me know also.

gild

I'm pretty sure that all of the 722.9 transmissions have some variations to them depending on the model that it is installed in, although I don't know if it makes a difference on the pan.

It might be worth your time to subscribe to http://epc.startekinfo.com/epc/home.jsp which will give you the exact part number that you need based on your VIN. If I remember correctly, it is only a few dollars a year.

Popo

Thank you Gild. I subscribed and got the part numbers i need. As a bonus, that subscription appears to be free for passenger cars even though i had to enter a credit card.

It also allowed me to print off the data card for the cars i have which gave me all the options fitted, the engine and transmission numbers etc which i had been looking for for ages.

I'll be onto the parts sites and or dealers this week so i am ready to do the transmission job next week.

johnand

Please do double check the part numbers for your vehicle. The part numbers I listed are for my 07 C230, and probably as the same for any 722.9 transmission, but better to be sure.

Good luck, and I hope this writeup helps. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you have.

W203E35

Waz up John!!!!!

I'm reaching 52k miles. I guess it's time for an Tranny Fluid/Filter change?

Hey hey what's that up there?? I'm gone for a week and you guys are talking about me? Matt that was a good one

apb

How can I find out whether my 2005 CLK500 provide has access to the torque convertor bolt? Some comment was that early 722.9 did not have access.

ncmudbug

I was going to wait for my wife's 2006 C230 to reach 60k miles before changing the tranny fluid, but now I'm thinking better of it. I looked over the earlier posts on this thread and now I feel like an idiot (not a new feeling for me).

First, I have studiously avoided any kind of automatic transmission DIY my entire car owning life - and so far, that has actually worked pretty well so far. I try not to have cars with autos and by the time my wife's transmission NEEDS service, it's time to get rid of it anyway. But now, she has a much nicer car (and more expensive) than usual so I want to make sure I treat all of it right.

I assume that I don't have a TC drain plug, but Glyn said they might have been reintroduced. In order to find out if I have one, do I put the car on stands and bump the starter watching for the drain plug in the bell housing access port? That seems pretty hit & miss.

I don't know where to add the fluid. My car doesn't have a dipstick tube for the tranny...

I don't have a STAR diagnostic system or an infrared thermometer. Are they really necessary to drain the fluid and refill it? If so, it sounds like this may be more of a job of an indy shop...

I'd appreciate anybody who can straighten me out on this.

Thanks!

johnand

Just pull the little rubber cover out of the transmission bell housing and use an appropriate sized socket and breaker bar and have a friend turn the crankshaft while you look for the plug. It is very small, but noticeable.

johnand

Read my post just above to see how to find out if you have the converter drain plug. For the question about the dipstick, please read all the documents I posted at the beginning of this thread.

To answer your other question, I hate to be so blunt but NO, you can NOT service the 7G without STAR or an infrared thermometer. This transmission is VERY picky with fluid level, and it must be checked an adjusted just as described in the documents I posted, or you will likely suffer serious transmission damage. So, if you are not absolutely comfortable buying the correct tools, and following the procedures, please find a good indy to do it for you.

ncmudbug

Thanks, John! I appreciate the good advice.

Glyn M Ruck

Very good advice!

platt-deutsch

I need a bit more info on the home made drain plug adapter. Is it made from a M12 bolt? How long is it and I assume you drill a 1/4 in hole thru the center.

gild

Moin, platt-deutsch,

Yes, it is an M12 size. I ended up buying the ready-made tool that John recommended. I think if you make your own, you'll need something like a rubber or cork washer to seal against the bottom of the pan. And you need a way to attach the hose going to your pump.

BLK-CLS

I have used a custom adaptor during my tranny service. I bought it from a local race shop. It was like $10. Its one of these anodized fittings.

Like this..
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...-1&showValue=3

W203E35

Thanks a bunch John. Just put an order out on everything (minus the amsoil pump and thermometer) and it came out to $253.13

W203E35

Got some parts in today. Still waiting on couple of parts. Hopefully it'll arrive this weekend. I just hit 60k miles on the original tranny fluid

vdubpower

shoot ive gone 55K miles and never had my 5G tranny serviced. ...feels fine...

johnand

Karo, you are an animal Hate to see what the fluid looks like coming out at 60K.

W203E35

Got all the parts in John. Planning on doing the change this weekend. Will do what we spoke.

benz rider

both of my indie mechanics(30 years MB exp. total) told me that there is really no need drop the pan and replace the filter. It's only if your pan is leaking around the edges(filter failure or seal damage) should you even have to mess with it. Yuor filter will continue to do it's job, some say even even better with fresh fluid sloshing around...but by looking at your ATF you will be able to notice if you have an issue with your tranny almost immdiately..from things such as contamination from other fluids(separation), to metal shavings from tranny parts scrubbing together due to low fluid. if you don't see any of that in your fluid after you drain it, then leave the pan alone. it's worth it to just change the tranny fluid regularly and ride until it croaks versus constantly dealing with tranny fluid leaks and drips after tampering with the tranny pan.

So far my indies are on point. no leaks, no shift issues and I'm at 215,000miles on the clock and only changed the fluid once since I bought it at 75,000.

As regular maintenance I always check the level to be sure I'm good.

W203E35

While your at it you might as well change it no? If you do it properly and clean it well then I doubt you'll have a problem. I honestly wouldn't risk running the same filter for a long time.
--------------------------------------

Here is a video of what happens when you don't maintain your transmission well. Guy probably believed MB's BS claim of lifetime tranny fluid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFgfHkK_FsY


Here is the assembly of our 722.9 transmission.
Pretty cool video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGbmS5tXSq8

johnand

If you read back at my posts closely, I actually DID NOT have a pan leak. The fluid was leaking from the bell housing. It was just fluid that accumulated in the bell housing from draining the torque converter. Fashioning a simple shield to keep fluid from running down the bell housing will keep that from happening.

I would NOT advocate just changing the fluid and not the filter. IMO it is cheap insurance for a VERY expensive transmission.

Glyn M Ruck

Find new Indy mechanics very quickly. Sounds like 30 X 1 years experience & learned nothing.
You must change the filter. We are playing with hydraulics here. Biggest killer of hydraulics = dirt or wear debris.

What if your filter looks like this one from a 722.6



As John says this is a very expensive transmission.